Arizona Mountain Styled Elopement | Phoenix Wedding Photographer

This dreamy mountain styled elopement shoot was brought to you by one unfortunate event that turned into a series of very fortunate events!  I wanted to plan a styled shoot at a new location I’d never been before as a way to challenge myself and get more creative with my photography.  So I asked my friend Nikki and her husband Chris to model as a bride and groom for me, and I made plans for doing the shoot in Sedona with the stunning red rock scenery.  My husband and I have lived in Arizona for two and a half years but have never been to Sedona, so I thought it would be perfect to bring my husband and daughter along for the ride and go on a little adventure to one of Arizona’s most stunning landmarks.  On the day of the shoot, we were driving north from Phoenix toward Sedona, and right as we reached the top of a particularly steep climb, the unfortunate event happened: our car started to overheat.  But thankfully, a series of fortunate events came together that made everything work out better than I could have hoped!

First, the spot where our car started overheating was literally right by the exit to Sunset Point rest area–a rest area on the side of the highway with a beautiful scenic overlook.  We were able to safely pull off into the parking lot at that rest area.  Luckily I was able to get in contact with Nikki so they met us at Sunset Point a few minutes later.  We could see a storm rolling in and decided it would be best to just do the photoshoot there at Sunset Point rather than carpooling up to Sedona, not knowing what the weather would be like up there.  And that was definitely the right call, because everything fell into place and felt like the shoot was just meant to be at Sunset Point!  Thanks to the recent monsoon rains, the scenic mountain overlook was so lush and green, I was seriously blown away that the gorgeous scene in front of me was just an hour north of the hot, dry, drab desert of Phoenix!  Nikki said, “I feel like I’m in a scene from Pride and Prejudice!”  The landscape was truly breathtaking.  We began the photoshoot about an hour or two earlier than I typically would for ideal sunlight, so I was a little worried that the light might be too bright and harsh, but another little unexpected miracle came in the form of the impending rainstorm!  Clouds were coming and going in front of the sun and creating the most beautiful diffused light! I was internally freaking out with excitement because we almost NEVER get such pretty, soft, even light here in Arizona!

I loved the way all the details of this shoot came together and complemented the mountain landscape of Sunset Point!  The bouquet and bouttoniere were created by yours truly because I love playing with flowers (pretty proud of how they turned out considering I’m no florist!) and I think the pops of blush and burgundy in the color palette stand out even more with the contrast of the greens in the scenery at Sunset Point than they would have against the red rocks of Sedona.  Nikki’s bridal look was the perfect pairing of elegance with simplicity–a lovely lace wedding gown with a mermaid silhouette, loose curls in her hair that looked so romantic blowing in the wind, delicate teardrop earrings, and natural makeup that highlighted her beautiful features and let her inner beauty shine through.  Chris’s groom look was a perfect mix of casual and classy for a mountain styled elopement–the rolled up sleeves and pop of color in his tie kept things from feeling too formal, but his vest and well-groomed beard and hair kept the look formal enough to say “I’m getting married today.”

Even though Nikki and Chris are total naturals at this modeling thing, it’s easy to tell in these photos that they aren’t pretending for the camera–their love is so genuine and sweet and I just loved being able to capture that.  Lots of people at the rest area kept congratulating them, thinking it was really their wedding day, and these two just took it all in stride and said it was fun to get all dressed up and relive that wedding day excitement again while taking these photos.  I’m in love with how this mountain styled elopement turned out, and so grateful for the little tender mercies that made it happen!  (And also grateful that by the time we finished the photo shoot, our car cooled down enough to make it home safely!)  I’m so excited to share these favorite photos from the shoot and hope you love them as much as I do!